Paul Rudd encouraged Leonardo DiCaprio to do Titanic after they shot Romeo + Juliet
Leonardo DiCaprio became “king of the world” by starring in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, and Paul Rudd played a small part in his coronation.
The Ant-Man star, who is currently promoting his Netflix dramedy Living With Yourself, recently stopped by The Graham Norton Show and recalled that he advised a young DiCaprio to take the role in the James Cameron film, back when they were working on Romeo + Juliet together. Rudd nudged the up-and-coming actor to play Jack Dawson in part because of his father’s experience as a Titanic expert.
“It was my last day of filming on Romeo + Juliet and we all went out to a bar afterward… a bunch of guys working on the movie,” Rudd said. “So we were in different cars and I was riding to the place with Leo and he said, ‘I just got offered this movie, and it’s a big movie.’ And he had done indie films [up] to that point. He said, ‘It’s a studio movie, it’s Titanic.’
“And I said, ‘That’s incredible!’” Rudd continued. “And I knew a lot about the Titanic because my dad just talks about it. And [DiCaprio and I] just had a conversation about it, and he was saying, like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what I’ll do.’ And I remember saying, ‘You should do it!’”
Needless to say, it turned out to be good advice. Watch the video above for more.
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